Lace-drying machine.



E. C. SCHNEEBELI, E. E/HELUCK & M. A. HALDEMAN.

LACE DRYING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 17. I915.

Patented Aug. 28, 1917.

4 SHEETS-SHEEI I.

E. C. SCHNEEBELI, E. E. HELLICK & M. A. HALDEMAN.

LACE DRYING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 7. I915.

Patent-d Aug, 28; 1917 4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

E. C. SCHNEEBELI, E. E. HELLICK & M; A. HALDEMAN.

LACE DRYING MACHINE. APPiLlCATlQN FILED FEB. 17, I915.

1,238,5'?6w I Patented Aug. 28, 1917.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

E. C.SCHNEEBELI, E. E.- HELLICK & M. A. HALDEMAN.

LACE DRYING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 17. 1915.

Patented Aug. 28, 1917.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

an FllCE.

ELLIS G. SCHNEEBELI, EDWIN E. HELLIGK, AND MORRIS A. HALDEMAN, OF NAZA- BETH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNORS TO G. A.

SCHNEEBELI & CO. INC., OF NAZARETH,

PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

LAGE-DRYIN G MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented A11g'.28,191 7.

Applicationfiled February 17, 1915. Serial No. 8,780.

To all whom it may concern:

. Be it known that we, ELLIs C. SUHNEEBELI, EDWIN E. Human, and "Monnis A. HALDE- MAN, citizens of the United States, residing in Nazareth, Northampton county, Penn sylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Lace-Drying Machines, of which the following is a specification.

One object of our invention is to provide mechanism for quickly and efficiently drying fabrics and more particularly, for drying lace after it has been sized with starch solution; it being also desired that said mechanism shall be simple in construction and easy to operate. V

These objects and other advantageous ends we attain as hereafter set forth refer ence being had to the accompanyingdrawings in which, i

Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating the exterior of a drying machine constructed according to our invention;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of themachine shown in Fig. l;

'Figs. 3 and 4: are sections taken respec-- tively on the lines aa and bb, '-Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged section of the stretching mechanism which we employ;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspective View of the conveying means forming part of our invention; and

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary perspectiveview of a modified form of conveying means.

Referring to the drawings, 1 is a casing forming an inclosure for a supporting frame 2 which has bearings 3 for two rotatable shafts 4, each having a sprocket wheel 5 fixed to it'at one end and a sprocket wheel 6 splined to it adjacent its other end.

One of the shafts 4: has one of its ends, extended through thecasing l and provided with a sprocket 7 connected through achain 8 with a sprocket 9 on a driving shaft 10 which is supported by brackets 11 secured to the said casing.

The shaft 10 has a clutch collar 12 slidably keyed thereto and movable by clutch-' shifting mechanism (not shown) into engagement with either of two clutch faces 13 and 14 on pulleys 15 and 16 respectively loosely mounted on said shaft and driven in opposite directions. By alternately moving the clutch member 12 into engagement with the clutch faces 13 and 14, the shaft 10 and consequently the sprocket 7 and its shaft 4; will be rotated first in onediicction and then in an opposite direction.

The sprockets 5-5 and 6-6 are respectively connected by conveying chains 17 and 18, the links of which have extensions 19 provided with substantially parallel pins 20. Said extensions 19 of the chain 17 also carry sleeves or pipes 21 into which extend the free ends of rods 22 similarly carried by the extensions 19 on the chain 18 (see Figs. 3 and 4). These sleeves 21 and rods 22 form a support for laceor other material to be dried and prevent it from falling between the conveying chains when it is detached from thepins 20.

As shown in Fig. 5 each pair of the sprockets 5 and 6 at the ends of the'machine carries a series ofrods 23which are rota tably mounted therein but prevented from moving longitudinally by cotter pins 24.- passing through themin engagement with washers 25. These rods .eachhas an enlarged portion 26 providing a shoulder abutting the wheels5 opposite thecotter pins 24 (Fig. 5), and their opposite ends are threaded at 27for engagement with thread ed sleeves 28 mounted in the wheels 6. Each of the rods 23 has fixed to ita sprocket 29 and a chain 30 passes around all the sprockets belonging to one pair of the wheels 5-6, so that if any one offsaid rods is turned all of the'rods in that serieswillbe turned to the same extent, thus sliding the corresponding wheel 6 on its shaft-At toward or from the wheel 5;

To 'facilitatethe turning of the rods23 one end 31 of each of them is made square so that a wrench or hand lever may be applied.

-A heating element which is illustrated as a coil 32, is placed adjacent thebottom of the casing 1 directly below the bottom runs ofthe chains 17 and 18 and two air circulating fans 33 and 34 are secured to a vertical shaft 35 supported in bearings 36 and '1 37 on the frame 2 between the planes of the two chains 17 and 18. The'blades of these fans are pitched in opposite directionsso that when the shaft 35 is rotated the fan 33 will move the air upwardly whilethe fan 34 will move it has fixed to it a 39 passing over pulley d1 on a through suitable downwardly. Said shaft pulley 38 driven by a belt idler pulleys 40 around a shaft 42 and thence out openings in the casing I to I a driving motor. Said shaft 42 is supportit from the mechanism above described.

Under operating conditions the lace after 1 it has beensized with starch solution or the like,is placed on;the pinsQO of the chains 17 and ISwhile the wheels 5 and 6 are rotating being engaged thereby at points ad.- jacent the edges. After all the lace ha s been. run on the chains the machine is stopped and the rods 23 areajdjusted to move the wheels 6 away from the wheels 5 until the lace is between said chains if desired.

held at the proper tension by the resulting separation of the two sets of chains. The doors'? are then closed and the clutch member :12 is thrown in so that the shafts 1 with their sprockets and lace supporting chains are turned at the proper speed and at the same time the fans are operated by the belt 39 which isdIiven from any-desired source of power. Steam is supplied to the heating coil 32 andthe air heated thereby will dry the lace, the fan 34E tending to drive the air through thebottom run of the lacewhile the fan 33 drives itthrough the upper run. The

moisture laden air at the top of the casing is continuously taken oif by the fan 46.

"When the lace has been sufficiently dried the clutch meiiiber 12 is moved to its neutral position. and after the rods 23 have been turned to move the wheel 6 toward the wheel 5 saidll'ace may be. easily removed from the piD'SY'ZQ, when it is ready for the market without further treatment.

While in Fig. 6 the conveying chains are shown as'having open. links they maybe made of solid substantially rectangular blocks having upwardly projecting lace holding pins 20 and bejoined-by pivot pins'48. When using this latter type of conveying chains each of the rods 22 may have one of its ends rigidly secured to a link on the chain 17 and, its other end slidable through a link on the chain 18; thus doing away with the necessity for sleeves 21. 'In this case the,

rods-22 wouldv extend the entire distance between the chains 17 and 18 and normally have a portion extending beyond the latter so as to permit of an increase of the distance.

Theheating member 32 may be of any dosirable construction and can be made of coiled pipe when it. is desired to use hot watcf, steam or hot air, though it may be made of plates or wire if the heating is-to be "done electrically.

We clai .1- combination of a supporting frame; two shafts journaled thereon; a

. sprocket fixed to eachshaft; a sprocketslidablykeyed to each shaft; a" chain connecting the fixedsprockets; a secondchain-connectmg the slidable sprockets; means on each of said chains for holding the material to be dried; means for sliding said latter spr0ckets on their respective shafts to increase or decrease the distance between the holding means of the chains; and means adjustably connecting said chains.

2. The combination of. a supporting frame; two shafts ournaled thereon; a

sprocket fixed to each shaft; a sprocket slidably keyed to each shaft; a chain connecting the fixed sprockets; a second chain connecting the slidable sprockets; means on each of said chains forhold-ing the material to be dried; means for sliding, the latter sprockets ontheir respective shafts to vary the distance between the holding means of the chains; said means including a {set of concentric rodsmovably secured to. each of the fixed sprockets and threaded into said slidable sprockets. v y

-3. The .combin' tion of. a supporting frame; two shafts rotatably mounted thereon; asprocket fixed to each shaft; a second sprocket sli'dably keyed to each shaft;

.a conveying chain connecting said. fixed sprockets; asecond conveying chain connecting said slidable sprockets;- a series of rods movably secured to each of said fixed sprockets and threaded .into said slidable sprockets with means for operatively connecting the rods of each series 'whereby movement of. one of, said rods will cause movement of the other. rods of the same series. r 1

4:. The combination of a supporting frame; two shafts rotatably mounted thereon; afixed and a slidable. sprocket on each of said shafts; a conveyingchain connecting the fixed sprockets; a second conveying chain connectingsthe slidable sprockets; telescoping members; extending between said chains and supported thereby; means on the. chains for holdingmaterial to be dried; means for moving the slidable structuresrelatively to the-fixed structures; and means for driving onezofsaid shafts.

Q5.;The combination of a supporting frame; two. shafts rotatably. mounted thereon; a fixedand a slidable sprocket on each of said shafts; a conveying chain connecting the fixed sprockets; a 1 second conveying chain.- connecting the slidable sprockets; a series offabric supporting members connecting said two chains and constructed to permitof their movement toward and fromeach'other; means on. the

chains for holding the material .to be dried; a casing inclosing saidmechanism; and

frame;

frame; two shafts rotatably mounted thereon; a fixed and a slidable sprocket on each of said shafts; a conveying chain connecting the fixed sprockets; a second conveying chain connecting the slidable sprockets; members connecting said chains; means on said chains for holding the material to be dried; a casing inclosing said mechanism; and fans located between the runs of the conveying chains for circulating air through the material on said chains.

7. The combination of a supporting two shafts rotatably mounted thereon; a fixed and a slidable sprocket on each of said shafts; a conveying chain connecting the fixed sprockets; a second conveying chain connecting the slidable Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the sprockets; members connecting said two chains; means on said chains for holding the material to be dried; a casing inclosing 20 said mechanism; fans located between the runs of the conveying chains for forcing air through the material on said chains; means for heating the casing; and means for exhausting the air from said casing. 25 In testimony whereof, we have signed our names to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ELLIS C. SCHNEEBELI. EDWIN E. HELLICK. MORRIS A. HALDEMAN. Witnesses:

MATTE M. WooDRiNG, WILSON E. BECK.

Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. G. 

